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New resources made available to increase awareness of PCIP

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today made new resources available to the media, consumer groups, states, health care providers, and others to increase awareness of the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, a health plan for uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions created by the Affordable Care Act.

11 Feb 2011

Times of India examines dengue vaccine trials

India could soon become a site for clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of a dengue vaccine, the Times of India reports. According to the drug controller general of India, vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur recently submitted a proposal to test the vaccine to the country.

11 Feb 2011

Viewpoints: Sebelius on empowering states; NY Times on insurance mandate; WSJ on 'next repeal target'

As governor of Kansas, I saw up close the urgent need for health-care reform. I heard it when factory owners told me their biggest concern was not manufacturing costs but rising insurance premiums, and when families said they felt like hostages to insurance companies that could deny or cancel coverage with little accountability.

11 Feb 2011

HHS lists GE PSO as part of AHRQ Patient Safety Organization program

The Secretary of Health and Human Services has listed the GE-MERS National Patient Safety Organization as part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Patient Safety Organization program. With this federal certification, GE Healthcare Performance Solutions joins leading healthcare organizations across the U.S. working to minimize risks in patient care.

11 Feb 2011

Food prices increased significantly in 2010, WFP data shows

Data from the World Food Program - available ahead of the release of its annual report - shows the cost of feeding people around the world "increased markedly in 2010 as rising grain prices pushed up the cost of staple foods," the Wall Street Journal reports.

11 Feb 2011

State roundup: Arizona Medicaid waiver; Mass. BCBS plans charge more for high-cost hospitals; Texas Dems' abortion fight

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's proposal to cut 280,000 people from the state's Medicaid rolls is being reviewed by U.S. officials who don't know whether they have the power to approve the action, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.

10 Feb 2011

House Republicans unveil partial list of budget cuts, advance plan to offer amendments to 'defund' health law

The National Journal reports on speculation that the GOP decision to advance a "clean" continuing resolution may signal that the Republican leadership is trying to move away from the partisan fight surrounding efforts to repeal the health law.

10 Feb 2011

New model of dementia care reduces emergency department visits, hospitalizations

An innovative model of dementia care developed by researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute significantly reduces emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and encourages use of medications that are not harmful to older brains. The result is improved health for older adults and their family caregivers and lower healthcare costs, according to a paper evaluating the model in real world use.

10 Feb 2011

College health plans must comply with health law's 'central provisions'

The Department of Health and Human Services made clear Wednesday that the nation's colleges and universities would not be exempt from the requirements of the health overhaul.

10 Feb 2011

Guide designed to help hospitals reduce variation in care

The American Hospital Association has released a guide to help hospitals and health care systems reduce inappropriate variation in areas such as end-of-life care, imaging, emergency services and obstetrics.

10 Feb 2011

Analyst offers prediction about Medicare advantage plans

Initial 2012 reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage plans should be roughly flat, which tops the consensus expectation of a 2 percent drop, according to Citi analyst Carl McDonald. McDonald said Tuesday in a research note the rates will be hurt by cuts from the health care overhaul, but he also thinks they will benefit from an adjustment to prior estimates.

10 Feb 2011

HERAE signs agreement with Aetna to offer electronic solutions

HERAE, one of the nation's largest healthcare electronic payment service providers, has signed an agreement with Aetna to offer electronic solutions that will make claim reconciliation, payments processing and deposits faster and more cost effective for doctors and hospitals that care for Aetna's members nationwide.

10 Feb 2011

NeoGenomics fourth quarter revenue increases 12% to $8.8 million

NeoGenomics, Inc., a leading provider of cancer-focused genetic testing services, today reported its results for the fourth quarter 2010 and fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.

10 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 10, 2011

Today's headlines include news about how the legal skirmishes surrounding the health overhaul are heating up.

10 Feb 2011

House Appropriations Committee approves $32B budget cut, reducing foreign aid, domestic spending for FY11

The House Appropriations Committee "voted, 27-22, Tuesday evening to move ahead with Republican plans for cutting" $32 billion "from domestic and foreign aid spending over the last seven months of this fiscal year," Politico reports (Rogers, 2/8).

10 Feb 2011

FDLI's new Policy Forum takes close look on emerging health care liability issues

The ability of families to sue vaccine producers for faulty design could lead to a rise in litigation and force manufacturers to abandon the market, which, in turn, could cause disastrous public health consequences in the United States, assert Daniel J. Gage, Assistant Director and Alison R. Perencevich, Legislative Assistant, at the American Academy of Pediatrics' Department of Federal Affairs.

10 Feb 2011

Key advance in development of fast, simple test for detection of cholera

With cholera on the rampage in Haiti and almost 40 other countries, scientists are reporting the development of a key advance that could provide a fast, simple test to detect the toxin that causes the disease. The report appears in ACS' journal Bioconjugate Chemistry. Cholera affects more than 200,000 people annually, mainly in developing countries, and causes about 5,000 deaths. Many involve infants, children, and the elderly.

10 Feb 2011

Indiana University creates Institute for Personalized Medicine

Indiana University has announced a major commitment to research in one of health care's most promising fields with the creation of the Indiana Institute for Personalized Medicine.

10 Feb 2011

Study: 30% of older patients with vulvar cancer die from treatment complications, ICD

Research by the American Academy of Family Physicians demonstrates that vulvar cancer occurs most frequently in women age 65 to 75 years of age. Thirty percent of patients with vulvar cancer are age 70 or older, and the rate increases with age, reaching a peak of 20 per 100,000 women by 75 years of age.

10 Feb 2011

USCCB says permanent ban on abortion funding long overdue, supports No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act

A permanent ban on abortion funding is long overdue, which is why the U.S. bishops support the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act (H.R. 3), said a representative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in a February 8 testimony to the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the House Judiciary Committee.

10 Feb 2011

Health Care News and Research

New resources made available to increase awareness of PCIP

Times of India examines dengue vaccine trials

Viewpoints: Sebelius on empowering states; NY Times on insurance mandate; WSJ on 'next repeal target'

HHS lists GE PSO as part of AHRQ Patient Safety Organization program

Food prices increased significantly in 2010, WFP data shows

State roundup: Arizona Medicaid waiver; Mass. BCBS plans charge more for high-cost hospitals; Texas Dems' abortion fight

House Republicans unveil partial list of budget cuts, advance plan to offer amendments to 'defund' health law

New model of dementia care reduces emergency department visits, hospitalizations

College health plans must comply with health law's 'central provisions'

Guide designed to help hospitals reduce variation in care

Analyst offers prediction about Medicare advantage plans

HERAE signs agreement with Aetna to offer electronic solutions

NeoGenomics fourth quarter revenue increases 12% to $8.8 million

First Edition: February 10, 2011

House Appropriations Committee approves $32B budget cut, reducing foreign aid, domestic spending for FY11

FDLI's new Policy Forum takes close look on emerging health care liability issues

Key advance in development of fast, simple test for detection of cholera

Indiana University creates Institute for Personalized Medicine

Study: 30% of older patients with vulvar cancer die from treatment complications, ICD

USCCB says permanent ban on abortion funding long overdue, supports No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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